Hi everyone, as of recent I was given an institutional email account that's attached to Microsoft Exchange. I initially decided that using Mail.app was going to be fine, but I then discovered after doing some testing that it doesn't support message push (apparently because of its lack of support for Exchange ActiveSync).

So, that said, what do you all think is the best mail client for OSX that supports Exchange+push these days, and is <$20 or free?

Hi everyone, as of recent I was given an institutional email account that's attached to Microsoft Exchange. I initially decided that using Mail.app was going to be fine, but I then discovered after doing some testing that it doesn't support message push (apparently because of its lack of support for Exchange ActiveSync).

So, that said, what do you all think is the best mail client for OSX that supports Exchange+push these days, and is <$20 or free?

The answer to question depends on your version of your Exchange Server. If you need access to Exchange Server 2007 or later, then you have two options. Mail/Address Book/iCal are free with every installation of OS X. Microsoft Entourage EWS is a free upgrade from Entourage 2008. Microsoft Outlook 2011 is part of Office 2011.

If your Exchange Server is older than above, then your only option with an Intel-based Mac is Entourage 2008. What follows is a difficult concept for many people to grasp. Here goes: Every installation of Exchange Server is different. If the setup wizard does not get you a working connection, then you need to contact your IT staff.

That said, the Exchange Server setup in iOS just works. If you access your Server from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, then you don't have to worry about which version of Mail you have or which version of Exchange Server your firm uses.

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The answer to question depends on your version of your Exchange Server. If you need access to Exchange Server 2007 or later, then you have two options. Mail/Address Book/iCal are free with every installation of OS X. Microsoft Entourage EWS is a free upgrade from Entourage 2008. Microsoft Outlook 2011 is part of Office 2011.

If your Exchange Server is older than above, then your only option with an Intel-based Mac is Entourage 2008. What follows is a difficult concept for many people to grasp. Here goes: Every installation of Exchange Server is different. If the setup wizard does not get you a working connection, then you need to contact your IT staff.

That said, the Exchange Server setup in iOS just works. If you access your Server from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, then you don't have to worry about which version of Mail you have or which version of Exchange Server your firm uses.

I seem to remember that the installer for Office 2008 requires Rosetta, and hence won't work in Lion or later. Office 2008 still works in Lion, isn't just that the installer doesn't.

I have never found anything wonky about Outlook 2011. Used it since it came out and I don't ever remember any significant glitches. I never liked using any of the OSX apps with Exchange, though I now use Kerio on the back end for my small business (20 users) and it has been flawless, and soooo much easier to admin. I would never return to Exchange. I actually have to thank MS for killing SBS and forcing me to see the light!

I don't believe that's true. Office 2008 is an intel program, not PPC. Office 2004 required Rosetta to run on intel macs.
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Office 2008 runs on Intel and PPC. The installer required Rosetta, at least for the first release. According to http://www.mactalk.com.au/11/72330-install-microsoft-office-2008-snow-leopard-without-rosetta.html there is a workaround.

Office 2008 runs on Intel and PPC. The installer required Rosetta, at least for the first release. According to http://www.mactalk.com.au/11/72330-install-microsoft-office-2008-snow-leopard-without-rosetta.html there is a workaround.

Hmm well I originally installed my copy on Leopard and then later upgraded to Snow Leopard.

Highly recommend you have a look at Airmail - http://airmailapp.com/. It is a VERY nice email client with native Exchange EWS support (Exchange Web Services explained). If you have at least Exchange 2007 on the back end it works pretty darn well, even better with Exchange 2010. You do have to know your EWS URL in order to get connected but thats USUALLY something like:

Code:

https://mydomain.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx

Airmail is under constant development, they are releasing updates all the time. The beta version is free and I am REALLY excited to see it get better and better. It's really fast, very clean interface, spam sieve support, lots of really nice features that I miss terribly when forced back to Outlook. IMHO it's not quite ready for primetime (meaning I'm not ready to put it out to my clients and friends/family) but soon..